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785887

	registered interest
	date	07/11/2017
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Children in Care
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have received from county councils and local government organisations regarding increases in children re-entering the county council care systems; and what is the impact of those increases on individual county councils 2017–18 forecast spend.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Smith of Basildon
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	uin	HL3035
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/11/2017 answer text <p>The government is committed to delivering long-term, sustainable improvements to the children’s social care system. We are working to identify the sorts of interventions that really work to help prevent the need for children to become looked-after or re-enter the care system. This is a key focus for the Partners in Practice Programme, Innovation Programme and What Works Centre.</p><p> </p><p>No representations have been received from county councils and local government organisations regarding increases in children re-entering the care system and no discussions have been had with Essex County Council on projected costs and other implications of children re-entering the care system.</p><p> </p><p>However, we recognise that local councils are delivering children’s services in a challenging environment and need to make tough choices about priorities to achieve efficiencies. The government is supporting local councils to do this in a number of ways. The Department for Education (DfE) has invested £200m since 2014 in our Innovation Programme and Partners in Practice Programme. As part of this, we have committed £20m to provide additional support to local councils where the risk of service failure is highest. We are committed to working with partners to understand how DfE might further support improvement across the system.</p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Agnew of Oulton grouped question UIN HL3036 question first answered 20/11/2017 11:40:59 answering member 4689 label Biography information for Lord Agnew of Oulton
	tabling member	4170 label Biography information for Baroness Smith of Basildon

785888

	registered interest
	date	07/11/2017
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Children in Care: Essex
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with Essex County Council regarding the projected costs and other implications of children re-entering the care system.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Smith of Basildon
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	uin	HL3036
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/11/2017 answer text <p>The government is committed to delivering long-term, sustainable improvements to the children’s social care system. We are working to identify the sorts of interventions that really work to help prevent the need for children to become looked-after or re-enter the care system. This is a key focus for the Partners in Practice Programme, Innovation Programme and What Works Centre.</p><p> </p><p>No representations have been received from county councils and local government organisations regarding increases in children re-entering the care system and no discussions have been had with Essex County Council on projected costs and other implications of children re-entering the care system.</p><p> </p><p>However, we recognise that local councils are delivering children’s services in a challenging environment and need to make tough choices about priorities to achieve efficiencies. The government is supporting local councils to do this in a number of ways. The Department for Education (DfE) has invested £200m since 2014 in our Innovation Programme and Partners in Practice Programme. As part of this, we have committed £20m to provide additional support to local councils where the risk of service failure is highest. We are committed to working with partners to understand how DfE might further support improvement across the system.</p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Agnew of Oulton grouped question UIN HL3035 question first answered 20/11/2017 11:40:59 answering member 4689 label Biography information for Lord Agnew of Oulton
	tabling member	4170 label Biography information for Baroness Smith of Basildon

789972

	registered interest
	date	15/11/2017
	answering body	HM Treasury
	answering dept id	14
	answering dept short name	Treasury
	answering dept sort name	CaTreasury
	hansard heading	Children: Day Care
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Written Statement of 15 November 2017, HCWS 247, on childcare service updates, on what date the tax-free childcare service will be open to parents whose youngest child is under (a) seven, (b) eight, (c) nine, (d) 10, (e) 11 and (f) 12 years old.
	tabling member constituency	Batley and Spen
	tabling member printed	Tracy Brabin
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	uin	113350
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/11/2017 answer text <p>On 24 November we will open the childcare service to those parents whose youngest child is under 6. We will gradually open the service to the remaining parents at the beginning of 2018. Our final decisions on roll-out dates for particular age groups will depend on volumes of applications and the performance of the childcare service. This is to ensure parents receive a better experience and prompt eligibility responses. All eligible parents will be able to apply by the end of March 2018.</p><p> </p><p>We are currently planning our communications campaign, in line with the revised profile for rollout of the service. Our plans include making use of stakeholders, partner websites, government channels and press, as well as some paid for advertising. Our approach is flexible and the costs of the campaign will be dependent on the relative impact of the various types of media.</p><p> </p><p>HMRC, and their delivery partner NS&amp;I, have made a number of technical fixes to the childcare service. The impact of these has been to provide a better customer experience, reduce the number of error screens seen by parents and provide faster eligibility responses. Almost all parents now get an eligibility response within five working days and most get their decision instantly.</p><p> </p><p>The costs for these technical improvements are included in the overall forecast expenditure for the programme, given in the response to Parliamentary Question (105727) on 16 October.</p><p> </p><p>As set out in the Impact Assessment for Tax Free Childcare published in March 2017, we estimate that, when fully rolled out, 1.2 million families will be better off under the new scheme. This assessment can be found at: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/652939/Tax-free_childcare_Impact_Assessment-March_2017.pdf" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/652939/Tax-free_childcare_Impact_Assessment-March_2017.pdf</a>.</p><p> </p><p>The number of live Tax-Free Childcare accounts was given in my response to a Parliamentary Question (106916) on 16 October.</p><p> </p><p>The number of parents with a Tax-Free Childcare account is currently lower than expected due to a combination of us opening the service to parents more slowly, and initial take-up being slower than expected. The service is currently open to parents of younger children who tend to focus more on using 30 hours free childcare over Tax-Free Childcare.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency South West Norfolk answering member printed Elizabeth Truss grouped question UIN 113351 113352 113353 113354 question first answered 20/11/2017 13:51:11 answering member 4097 label Biography information for Elizabeth Truss
	tabling member	4588 label Biography information for Tracy Brabin

789973

	registered interest
	date	15/11/2017
	answering body	HM Treasury
	answering dept id	14
	answering dept short name	Treasury
	answering dept sort name	CaTreasury
	hansard heading	Children: Day Care
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Written Statement of 15 November 2017, HCWS 247, on childcare service updates, how much he plans to spend on activities to raise awareness of tax-free childcare among parents.
	tabling member constituency	Batley and Spen
	tabling member printed	Tracy Brabin
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	uin	113351
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/11/2017 answer text <p>On 24 November we will open the childcare service to those parents whose youngest child is under 6. We will gradually open the service to the remaining parents at the beginning of 2018. Our final decisions on roll-out dates for particular age groups will depend on volumes of applications and the performance of the childcare service. This is to ensure parents receive a better experience and prompt eligibility responses. All eligible parents will be able to apply by the end of March 2018.</p><p> </p><p>We are currently planning our communications campaign, in line with the revised profile for rollout of the service. Our plans include making use of stakeholders, partner websites, government channels and press, as well as some paid for advertising. Our approach is flexible and the costs of the campaign will be dependent on the relative impact of the various types of media.</p><p> </p><p>HMRC, and their delivery partner NS&amp;I, have made a number of technical fixes to the childcare service. The impact of these has been to provide a better customer experience, reduce the number of error screens seen by parents and provide faster eligibility responses. Almost all parents now get an eligibility response within five working days and most get their decision instantly.</p><p> </p><p>The costs for these technical improvements are included in the overall forecast expenditure for the programme, given in the response to Parliamentary Question (105727) on 16 October.</p><p> </p><p>As set out in the Impact Assessment for Tax Free Childcare published in March 2017, we estimate that, when fully rolled out, 1.2 million families will be better off under the new scheme. This assessment can be found at: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/652939/Tax-free_childcare_Impact_Assessment-March_2017.pdf" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/652939/Tax-free_childcare_Impact_Assessment-March_2017.pdf</a>.</p><p> </p><p>The number of live Tax-Free Childcare accounts was given in my response to a Parliamentary Question (106916) on 16 October.</p><p> </p><p>The number of parents with a Tax-Free Childcare account is currently lower than expected due to a combination of us opening the service to parents more slowly, and initial take-up being slower than expected. The service is currently open to parents of younger children who tend to focus more on using 30 hours free childcare over Tax-Free Childcare.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency South West Norfolk answering member printed Elizabeth Truss grouped question UIN 113350 113352 113353 113354 question first answered 20/11/2017 13:51:12 answering member 4097 label Biography information for Elizabeth Truss
	tabling member	4588 label Biography information for Tracy Brabin

789974

	registered interest
	date	15/11/2017
	answering body	HM Treasury
	answering dept id	14
	answering dept short name	Treasury
	answering dept sort name	CaTreasury
	hansard heading	Children: Day Care
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Written Statement of 15 November 2017, HCWS 247, on childcare service updates, if he will provide details of what improvements were made to the Childcare Choices website; and how much such improvements cost.
	tabling member constituency	Batley and Spen
	tabling member printed	Tracy Brabin
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	uin	113352
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/11/2017 answer text <p>On 24 November we will open the childcare service to those parents whose youngest child is under 6. We will gradually open the service to the remaining parents at the beginning of 2018. Our final decisions on roll-out dates for particular age groups will depend on volumes of applications and the performance of the childcare service. This is to ensure parents receive a better experience and prompt eligibility responses. All eligible parents will be able to apply by the end of March 2018.</p><p> </p><p>We are currently planning our communications campaign, in line with the revised profile for rollout of the service. Our plans include making use of stakeholders, partner websites, government channels and press, as well as some paid for advertising. Our approach is flexible and the costs of the campaign will be dependent on the relative impact of the various types of media.</p><p> </p><p>HMRC, and their delivery partner NS&amp;I, have made a number of technical fixes to the childcare service. The impact of these has been to provide a better customer experience, reduce the number of error screens seen by parents and provide faster eligibility responses. Almost all parents now get an eligibility response within five working days and most get their decision instantly.</p><p> </p><p>The costs for these technical improvements are included in the overall forecast expenditure for the programme, given in the response to Parliamentary Question (105727) on 16 October.</p><p> </p><p>As set out in the Impact Assessment for Tax Free Childcare published in March 2017, we estimate that, when fully rolled out, 1.2 million families will be better off under the new scheme. This assessment can be found at: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/652939/Tax-free_childcare_Impact_Assessment-March_2017.pdf" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/652939/Tax-free_childcare_Impact_Assessment-March_2017.pdf</a>.</p><p> </p><p>The number of live Tax-Free Childcare accounts was given in my response to a Parliamentary Question (106916) on 16 October.</p><p> </p><p>The number of parents with a Tax-Free Childcare account is currently lower than expected due to a combination of us opening the service to parents more slowly, and initial take-up being slower than expected. The service is currently open to parents of younger children who tend to focus more on using 30 hours free childcare over Tax-Free Childcare.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency South West Norfolk answering member printed Elizabeth Truss grouped question UIN 113350 113351 113353 113354 question first answered 20/11/2017 13:51:12 answering member 4097 label Biography information for Elizabeth Truss
	tabling member	4588 label Biography information for Tracy Brabin

789975

	registered interest
	date	15/11/2017
	answering body	HM Treasury
	answering dept id	14
	answering dept short name	Treasury
	answering dept sort name	CaTreasury
	hansard heading	Children: Day Care
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Written Statement of 15 November 2017, HCWS 247, on childcare service updates, how many tax-free childcare accounts his Department estimated would be created; and how many such accounts have been created.
	tabling member constituency	Batley and Spen
	tabling member printed	Tracy Brabin
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	uin	113353
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/11/2017 answer text <p>On 24 November we will open the childcare service to those parents whose youngest child is under 6. We will gradually open the service to the remaining parents at the beginning of 2018. Our final decisions on roll-out dates for particular age groups will depend on volumes of applications and the performance of the childcare service. This is to ensure parents receive a better experience and prompt eligibility responses. All eligible parents will be able to apply by the end of March 2018.</p><p> </p><p>We are currently planning our communications campaign, in line with the revised profile for rollout of the service. Our plans include making use of stakeholders, partner websites, government channels and press, as well as some paid for advertising. Our approach is flexible and the costs of the campaign will be dependent on the relative impact of the various types of media.</p><p> </p><p>HMRC, and their delivery partner NS&amp;I, have made a number of technical fixes to the childcare service. The impact of these has been to provide a better customer experience, reduce the number of error screens seen by parents and provide faster eligibility responses. Almost all parents now get an eligibility response within five working days and most get their decision instantly.</p><p> </p><p>The costs for these technical improvements are included in the overall forecast expenditure for the programme, given in the response to Parliamentary Question (105727) on 16 October.</p><p> </p><p>As set out in the Impact Assessment for Tax Free Childcare published in March 2017, we estimate that, when fully rolled out, 1.2 million families will be better off under the new scheme. This assessment can be found at: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/652939/Tax-free_childcare_Impact_Assessment-March_2017.pdf" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/652939/Tax-free_childcare_Impact_Assessment-March_2017.pdf</a>.</p><p> </p><p>The number of live Tax-Free Childcare accounts was given in my response to a Parliamentary Question (106916) on 16 October.</p><p> </p><p>The number of parents with a Tax-Free Childcare account is currently lower than expected due to a combination of us opening the service to parents more slowly, and initial take-up being slower than expected. The service is currently open to parents of younger children who tend to focus more on using 30 hours free childcare over Tax-Free Childcare.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency South West Norfolk answering member printed Elizabeth Truss grouped question UIN 113350 113351 113352 113354 question first answered 20/11/2017 13:51:12 answering member 4097 label Biography information for Elizabeth Truss
	tabling member	4588 label Biography information for Tracy Brabin

789976

	registered interest
	date	15/11/2017
	answering body	HM Treasury
	answering dept id	14
	answering dept short name	Treasury
	answering dept sort name	CaTreasury
	hansard heading	Children: Day Care
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Written Statement of 15 November 2017, HCWS 247, on childcare service updates, what assessment he has made of whether the potential number of applications of tax-free childcare accounts has been lower than expected.
	tabling member constituency	Batley and Spen
	tabling member printed	Tracy Brabin
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	uin	113354
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/11/2017 answer text <p>On 24 November we will open the childcare service to those parents whose youngest child is under 6. We will gradually open the service to the remaining parents at the beginning of 2018. Our final decisions on roll-out dates for particular age groups will depend on volumes of applications and the performance of the childcare service. This is to ensure parents receive a better experience and prompt eligibility responses. All eligible parents will be able to apply by the end of March 2018.</p><p> </p><p>We are currently planning our communications campaign, in line with the revised profile for rollout of the service. Our plans include making use of stakeholders, partner websites, government channels and press, as well as some paid for advertising. Our approach is flexible and the costs of the campaign will be dependent on the relative impact of the various types of media.</p><p> </p><p>HMRC, and their delivery partner NS&amp;I, have made a number of technical fixes to the childcare service. The impact of these has been to provide a better customer experience, reduce the number of error screens seen by parents and provide faster eligibility responses. Almost all parents now get an eligibility response within five working days and most get their decision instantly.</p><p> </p><p>The costs for these technical improvements are included in the overall forecast expenditure for the programme, given in the response to Parliamentary Question (105727) on 16 October.</p><p> </p><p>As set out in the Impact Assessment for Tax Free Childcare published in March 2017, we estimate that, when fully rolled out, 1.2 million families will be better off under the new scheme. This assessment can be found at: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/652939/Tax-free_childcare_Impact_Assessment-March_2017.pdf" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/652939/Tax-free_childcare_Impact_Assessment-March_2017.pdf</a>.</p><p> </p><p>The number of live Tax-Free Childcare accounts was given in my response to a Parliamentary Question (106916) on 16 October.</p><p> </p><p>The number of parents with a Tax-Free Childcare account is currently lower than expected due to a combination of us opening the service to parents more slowly, and initial take-up being slower than expected. The service is currently open to parents of younger children who tend to focus more on using 30 hours free childcare over Tax-Free Childcare.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency South West Norfolk answering member printed Elizabeth Truss grouped question UIN 113350 113351 113352 113353 question first answered 20/11/2017 13:51:12 answering member 4097 label Biography information for Elizabeth Truss
	tabling member	4588 label Biography information for Tracy Brabin

789985

	registered interest
	date	15/11/2017
	answering body	HM Treasury
	answering dept id	14
	answering dept short name	Treasury
	answering dept sort name	CaTreasury
	hansard heading	Concentrix
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much compensation HM Revenue and Customs paid to tax credit claimants who incurred a financial loss due to actions taken by Concentrix during the course of its contract in relation to error and fraud in the tax credits system.
	tabling member constituency	Sheffield, Heeley
	tabling member printed	Louise Haigh
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	uin	113211
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/11/2017 answer text <p>HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) will consider offering redress if a customer has incurred a financial loss. As at 15 November 2017, HMRC had paid a total of £18,035 in payments for costs, actual financial loss or reimbursement due to actions taken by Concentrix during the course of its contract.</p><p> </p><p>HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) will consider offering redress if a customer has incurred a financial loss. As at 15 November 2017, HMRC had made 1,271 payments for costs, actual financial loss or reimbursement due to action taken by Concentrix during the course of its contract.</p> answering member constituency South West Norfolk answering member printed Elizabeth Truss grouped question UIN 113212 question first answered 20/11/2017 13:48:19 answering member 4097 label Biography information for Elizabeth Truss
	tabling member	4473 label Biography information for Louise Haigh

789986

	registered interest
	date	15/11/2017
	answering body	HM Treasury
	answering dept id	14
	answering dept short name	Treasury
	answering dept sort name	CaTreasury
	hansard heading	Concentrix
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many claimants have received a compensation payment from HM Revenue and Customs as a result of an actual financial loss caused by the actions of Concentrix during its contract in relation to the tax credits system.
	tabling member constituency	Sheffield, Heeley
	tabling member printed	Louise Haigh
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	uin	113212
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/11/2017 answer text <p>HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) will consider offering redress if a customer has incurred a financial loss. As at 15 November 2017, HMRC had paid a total of £18,035 in payments for costs, actual financial loss or reimbursement due to actions taken by Concentrix during the course of its contract.</p><p> </p><p>HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) will consider offering redress if a customer has incurred a financial loss. As at 15 November 2017, HMRC had made 1,271 payments for costs, actual financial loss or reimbursement due to action taken by Concentrix during the course of its contract.</p> answering member constituency South West Norfolk answering member printed Elizabeth Truss grouped question UIN 113211 question first answered 20/11/2017 13:48:19 answering member 4097 label Biography information for Elizabeth Truss
	tabling member	4473 label Biography information for Louise Haigh

790209

	registered interest
	date	15/11/2017
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Tata Steel: Pensions
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what provision was made for advice to be given to members of the Tata Steel pension scheme on their pension options after the creation of the new pensions scheme; and what the cost to the public purse of that provision was.
	tabling member constituency	Stockton North
	tabling member printed	Alex Cunningham
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	uin	113174
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/11/2017 answer text <p>The Trustee of the British Steel Pension Scheme (BSPS) is providing information to members on the effect on their pension rights of either staying in the original scheme which will move in to the Pension Protection Fund (PPF) or transferring to the new scheme. This includes newsletters, a website, bespoke option packs and access to free and impartial helplines. The Trustee cannot provide financial advice but members who may want independent advice are signposted to the <a href="http://www.unbiased.co.uk" target="_blank">www.unbiased.co.uk</a> website. They are also warned to check that the Independent Financial Advisor from whom they receive advice is authorised by the FCA to advise on defined benefit pensions by looking them up on FCA’s register. The BSPS trustee is also warning members about the risk of bad advice and scams in its communication with members.</p><p> </p><p>The Department does not provide formal advice to any pension scheme members. The Department is not authorised to provide financial advice. However, the free service provided by the Pensions Advisory Service may be able to clarify or explain information that members have received from their scheme to help them better understand their options.</p><p> </p><p>The Pensions Regulator has encouraged the BSPS trustee to repeat the warnings to members at the ongoing road show meetings it is holding with members to ensure they are fully informed about their options. The PPF has been invited to these roadshows to answer questions and provide information on how the PPF operates. The Secretary of State has not had any discussions with the PPF regarding the number of BSPS members requesting transfer valuations since this is a matter for the Trustee rather than the PPF or the Government.</p><p> </p><p>Government is in ongoing discussion with the FCA on the issue of cold calling and wider issues concerning advice. These discussions will take account of the circumstances surrounding Tata Steel. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is aware of concerns around this issue and is urgently arranging to meet the firms in Swansea that hold the permission to advise on pension transfers in order to set out their expectations of advisers. The FCA can use their supervisory tools where they suspect authorised firms of being involved in pension scams. These tools include restrictions on a firm’s permission to do certain types of business. When unauthorised firms carry on regulated pension business, the FCA has the power to investigate and take action through the criminal and civil courts.</p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman grouped question UIN 113175 113176 113177 question first answered 20/11/2017 12:23:30 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
	tabling member	4122 label Biography information for Alex Cunningham